Post-race press conference - Chinese GP - Pt.1.

Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari), Jenson Button (BAR), Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren)

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Q:
Rubens, a great drive, a great day, under pressure the whole way...

Rubens Barrichello:
Yeah, but it's been good. I mean, we knew at the beginning there was a bit of graining on the fronts, but the tyres did a superb job. They were holding on fantastically well, and so I was able to keep under pressure but, closer to the pit-stop, to push, push, push. I was able to open a decent gap and just maintain the first place.

Q:
There was a lot of pressure from Kimi in the early stages of the race, too.

RB:
It was very hard. I had a very good start and I was amazed by the grip on the first lap. I actually underestimated it a little bit - I could have pushed a little bit harder because the grip was there. I was feeling good the whole way through, and it was really, really nice. Towards the end, because I had an eight-second gap, I didn't push too much, and actually the graining on the front stayed there for a longer time, so I was having a tougher time actually towards the end of the race.

Q:
And quite difficult to pace it right to the end and get it perfect to the chequered flag....

RB:
Especially because I had two cars to lap. I mean, the first time I went to lap Villeneuve, he didn't see me, so I lost like a second. After that, I thought maybe he was concentrating on the car in front, so I might have a problem, but then he was okay and he let me by.

Q:
Jenson, we now know you had more fuel than anybody else in qualifying, so it was a great qualifying lap and a fantastic race. That middle stint, with so much fuel on board for you...

Jenson Button:
It was a very tough race. When you know the other guys out there are doing a three-stop and you are doing two, it does make it fairly difficult mentally, because you have got so much weight on board. It was pretty tough, especially the last stint when Rubens was putting in some good laps. Being able to push was almost impossible because, with that much weight, you get a lot of understeer and it was pretty tough.

Q:
In the closing stages of the race, you were catching him very impressively. Were you thinking there in the end, 'yeah, we can do it here'?

JB:
I didn't really know if he was just backing off, or if he was just slow at that time. I was just concentrating on the queue behind. Trying to close the gap was very difficult because, suddenly, he would put in some very quick laps. Then, towards the end, I was able to pick up the pace a little bit. But it was a good race for us and I was very happy to get second. But, you know, the starts have been a bit of a problem lately for us, and to lose two places off the start - almost three places - was disastrous for us. It is something we need to work on. If we have that, we will be a lot closer to challenging for our first win.

Q:
Was that a function in any way of carrying more fuel at the start?

JB:
I don't really think so. I don't think it makes a huge difference in a way, but it is something we have to work on and we know that. Hopefully, we can sort that problem out by Japan, and we will be rocketing off the line and be up with these guys.

Q:
Kimi, a very close race in the opening stages there - and a very short middle stint you had there in your fuel strategy...

Kimi Raikkonen:
Yeah, the car was pretty good all the way though the race, but we did a little risk because I was always stuck behind Rubens. I tried in the middle to drive past him, but it didn't pay off and, actually, we lost the second place from that. But we are here to try to win the races and not to finish second, so I am not too disappointed right now. I was quite happy with the car all the way through, but with the last set of tyres, at the beginning, I was struggling. In the end, they came good again.

Q:
What was it like following Rubens in that first stage of the race on this circuit? What is your impression of this circuit? Could you have tried to overtake him or would it have been very risky?

KR:
I did all I could, but I wasn't able to get close enough. It's pretty okay to follow other people, but the problem is, if you don't get close enough, you cannot even try - and I was just a little bit too far away. I didn't have the speed on the back straight, so I was not able even to try to overtake.

Q:
Well, Rubens, fantastic scenes here in China at their first ever grand prix. Talk a little bit about that and your feelings on the podium and, of course, the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix from your point of view.

RB:
Well, it's been a season where I have been playing catch up, really, to Michael. He started on a higher level and, for some reason, I wasn't able to catch him. Right now, I am just going through a good phase and, here in China, since the beginning of the week, I have been setting good times and the set-up was quite good. I have to thank the whole team. In the race, it was dealing with a little bit of the small problems that I had with the front tyres, and then pushing when the car was good - and the car was good for 80 per cent of the time, so that is pretty impressive.

Press conference:

Q:
Rubens, this winning could become a habit although, after the soaking you gave the Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, I would be a little bit worried.

RB:
I actually thought that I was probably the only man in his life that got him wet. I feel pretty happy about that too!

Q:
What about the fact you have made history by winning this inaugural race?

RB:
Well, that's probably something I am going to see tomorrow, or some days later, because it was just the fact of winning the race, a new race, a new venue, a new track and everyone starting from zero. I had a tremendous time from the beginning, the guys have been teaching me on the roads how to drive and I was able to put in some good laps today.

Q:
What about Kimi, how hard was he pushing in the two stints?

RB:
I think they were pushing very hard since the beginning and, probably, Kimi could have gone faster if he was in front of me at some stage, because I had three or four laps that I had to hold him up at the beginning. After that, I was able to put a pace which was similar to him and quicker to him towards the end. So, that was the pattern, and the team played the pit-stops very well. I was able to push very well towards the end, so it made my day.

Q:
Were you worried about Jenson's strategy?

RB:
You know, at one time, I was worried because the team were saying that Kimi was not a problem any more, but the problem was Jenson and I had to push. But, then I was asking for some gaps and they didn't know because he had not pitted yet for his second pit-stop, so it was difficult to calculate. After he pitted, we had 21 seconds and, then, the second lap, I had 21.7 again, so I said 'oh, I'm in trouble and I have to push', but, all of a sudden, I saw 25 and they said 'okay, you must be clear'. So, at that stage, things became a little bit calmer.

Q:
At the end of the race, he was closing on you - how was your car then?

RB:
Well, at the beginning, when I had the graining, I was pushing and the graining was going in three laps. But, because I saw eight seconds and I started to be a bit more conservative, the graining stayed longer. So, whenever I saw that he was closing and I had to start going faster again, it took a couple of laps to actually clean it. If he could have closed the gap on me, I am pretty sure I could have put the 32s back again, but it was just frustrating to see the eight-second gap coming down and I had to push again. But, obviously, towards the end, and the last two laps, it was okay.

Q:
Jenson, what was the thinking behind the two-stop strategy? Did you think everybody else was going to do three?

JB:
The thinking behind it was that we thought it was quicker, that was the reason why we did it. We weren't sure what these two guys were going to do pit-stop wise and, at one point, I saw them pit on lap twelve and come out extremely quickly after a short fill, so I realised that they were probably on three stops, and I was pretty happy. It does put you under a little bit more pressure I think, with a heavy fuel load which is tough, because the car is a lot heavier. But, for me, it was a good race. Towards the end, Rubens seem to be very, very quick, and was able to pull that gap out on me when I had made both my stops. He still had to pit and, when I saw I was 27s behind, I knew it was going to be very difficult when he finally stopped.

Q:
Yet, you were catching him towards the end, although you were being caught as well....

JB:
Obviously, your main aim is to win the race, so my main aim was to catch Rubens. But I also had my mirrors full of Kimi at the end. He was putting in some very quick laps and it was very difficult, because I knew that, if I caught Rubens, it would be very difficult to overtake and I would also lose downforce in the high speed corners and Kimi would be a lot closer. So it was tough, but coming home second is good for the team and we have scored some good points.

Q:
In fact, you overtook Alonso - was that fairly easy?

JB:
Yeah, it was a fantastic feeling. The car's been good and I think this circuit is for me too. I found it reasonably easy to overtake. The car and myself were quick coming onto the back straight round that long right-hander, so it made it easy to overtake at the end of the straight.

Q:
Kimi, third place, are you happy with that?

KR:
Yeah, it was the best that they could do. I think we were taking a little bit of a risk in the middle of the race to try to pass Rubens. We did quite a short fill on the second stop, but it didn't pay off. We tried to win the race and not come second, so I am not too disappointed to lose second place.

Q:
It was almost as though you were able to pressure Rubens but, towards the end of the stint, you would drop away again.

KR:
Yeah, he seems to go a little bit quicker always at the end, but I was able to keep the pace fairly similar, so I could not pressure him any more when I was able to stay with him. That was enough, but unfortunately we were not quick enough to pass him.

Q:
Car, engine and tyres okay?

KR:
Yeah, the car was very good. Since the start of the race, we were quicker and the tyres were very consistent, so I think the whole package was good and, at the end of the race, it got quicker and quicker all the time. I was able to catch up with the others, but it was a bit too late.